Town Square

Governor's new budget includes more for education, state health care expansion

Original post made
on Jan 11, 2013

Gov. Jerry Brown announced his proposal yesterday for a balanced state budget for the 2013-14 fiscal year that would funnel more money into K-12 schools and higher education and reform California's health care system.

Posted by William Tell
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Jan 11, 2013 at 9:19 am

Low-income and English-illiterate education is a losing investment. Those schools already get Title 8 funds, state of the art computers, extra grants - and yet they don't produce results. Those schools don't have a funding problem - they have a culture problem - students that are multiple generation welfare dependents who think that hard work and academic achievement is bad, e.g., "acting white." And students whose parents don't understand the value of education and learning English.

So basically, these schools will get all the money - meanwhile Pleasanton parents will be expected to kick in monies to supplement programs - monies the state would be providing if we had low-income, minority failing schools. Yet another tax on the achievers in California - which is the liberal way.

Posted by Michele
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Jan 11, 2013 at 9:50 am

William Tell - you have a lot to say, but it seems you know little about education funding in other districts. You relate poorer districts purely to lack of the English language, as well as those who don't know the value of education. The thought apparently has not come to mind that many of these families are middle income, hard workers who can't afford to live in areas such as P-town. Look at Castro Valley, for example. Kids playing on yard equipment from 1970... and you think THEY have updated computers and the most up to date equipment? Maybe venture out of the bubble in Pleasanton and see what it's really like for other families out there instead of assumptions.

I'm can guess you didn't hear the story of 2 sisters from Oakland, both accepted to Yale University, despite their immigrant parents not knowing a word of English. They, too, must not know the value of education? Education is a right for all children, despite the situation they are in. We should be so grateful that we live in Pleasanton and the parents in this city are so able to assist in funding programs. This is not the case across the Bay Area, or even California, and not simply attributed to welfare recipients and immigrants.

Posted by Timothy T
a resident of Downtown
on Jan 11, 2013 at 10:02 am

As has already been proven in every developed country and in other states, more dollars for education makes the whole place more successful. Glad to see this (relatively tiny) bump in spending on what's important.

Posted by Libertarian utopia has arrived!
a resident of Vintage Hills Elementary School
on Jan 11, 2013 at 10:06 am

Yes, proof positive, indeed. Good thinking! Lots of logic there. Instead of spending our tax dollars, govt should do something else, like send it back. Because, golly, there really isn't anything that requires additional govt spending. We live in a society where people have the freedom to let their kids starve. So why spend any of MY money on THAT? Whew! What an idiot.

Posted by Kathleen Ruegsegger
a resident of Vintage Hills Elementary School
on Jan 11, 2013 at 10:31 amKathleen Ruegsegger is a registered user.

Government rarely looks for solutions other than getting more money to spend. Our Governor also has a democratic majority to "advance the progressive agenda," but has had to caution his legislators. "But Brown vowed to push back at legislators eager to increase spending even more by restoring the billions of dollars to social services and other state programs cut in lean years." Web Link

Posted by William Tell
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Jan 11, 2013 at 11:10 am

@ Michele - for every success story (which is usually about poor Asian or East Indian immigrants who come from academic achievement cultures whose parents happen to be poor or living in a crappy place) there are real metrics and facts - such as 50% who don't graduate high school in Oakland. We've tried so many things that don't work - from teaching "Ebonics" and treating proper English as a foreign language, "Diversity Consultants" - teaching immigrant children in Spanish instead of English - all money down the drain with no results. What makes you think throwing more money at these problems will end up with different results, if the same tired tactics are used? Didn't Einstein state that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting a different result?

Posted by john
a resident of Another Pleasanton neighborhood
on Jan 11, 2013 at 8:43 pm

" Didn't Einstein state that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting a different result?"

No he never said that. It gets repeated all over the internet, but it isn't true. But as to the other stuff about the numbers looking bad for those cultures that don't value education, I have to agree with you there.

Let's be very clear here. He didn't balance the budget, we did when we agreed to a tax hike to increase school funding because our state leadership couldnt properly manage what was given to them. Jerry Brown should be commending the rest of us that agreed to work more to pay for to make up for government waste.

And yes, English speaking American students are not on the back burner and are a low priority. Kids here from elsewhere now get a better education with additional resources that all of us pay for. There was a mom on here a few months ago ranting about how she forced PUSD to give her son additional resources at a special education level and cost all because English wasn't his first language. Her writing proved she definitely spoke English well, but since she chose not to make it his primary language, we all paid for special education for this one student at the expense of our own. nd she was proud of it and apparently thought we all should be too.

Bottom line, if you have a typical English speaking American kid who you choose to speak English to at home, start budgeting for private school. Public schools don't welcome our types of kids and routinely fail them. I'm just glad my youngest is about to graduate.

Posted by Kathleen Ruegsegger
a resident of Vintage Hills Elementary School
on Jan 12, 2013 at 4:38 pmKathleen Ruegsegger is a registered user.

I think this title, "Governor's new budget includes more for education" is a bit misleading. The Governor's budget gives back money it owes education. And the budget surplus is only because he is not repaying $1 billion to other funds that were raided. Web Link

Posted by Kathleen Ruegsegger
a resident of Vintage Hills Elementary School
on Jan 13, 2013 at 10:11 amKathleen Ruegsegger is a registered user.

NS, I am clearly against spending of reserves, illegal bond refinancing, borrowing from other funds, inability to repay, non-specific language, and an overall lack of transparency. It is precisely because I do support education that I am concerned about the direction the district took under the previous, and sometimes current, governance team.

I don't belong to the Catholic Church and would agree with your comment. The GOP probably supports women as quiet little homemakers--clearly not my style.